Are You Ready to be a Dad?

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

@Cro4Jets I don't understand the question

Who will take care of the baby is definitely a big concern. Like I said, we don't have family nearby. We're a two-income household and the reality is while I make a decent salary, she's the true breadwinner.

I know it's a bit of a difficult question to answer, but for the first year or two what are the average monthly expenses for a baby?

Tough to nail down a solid figure, because I spent so much time in looking for sales and deals, plus things come up that you never thought of or planed for.


If you use store brand diapers...they're about $15 for 80-90 of them. Your biggest expense will be formula if she doesn't breastfeed. Big cans of Similac are about $15 each and you'll use at least one or two a week. Then there are wipes (80 for $3), food (about $0.60 a jar), cereal is cheap, about $1.50 a box that last a while (rice cereal). If you use those bottles with liners, they're more convenient but the refills are about $8 for 100.

Luckily with your first baby, a lot of people give you clothes and blankets, so you could be set for the first year, clothes-wise.

If you're like most parents, you'll just transfer money you spent on yourself to the baby's budget: eating out (can't do that as much if you wanted to with a baby), movies and entertainment...the extra things.

You'll find it somewhere.

I don't know how much your wife makes and it's none of our business, but sometimes daycare can sometimes eat up a large portion of one parent's weekly income, so even money-wise, the decision to continue to work may not end up helping the family budget anyways...so it will come down to if your wife wants a break (some mothers do) or wants to stay on her career track, or stay home. There's no right or wrong blanket answer and it's a personal decision for every couple, I just really believe there are big benefits to one parent being with the child every day. (not to infuriate people again)

I'm just sharing my experiences as you asked...so you can consider everything as you plan your children with your wife. It doesn't hurt anyone to consider every option of a situation.